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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Michael Scully

RTÉ to show Heineken Champions Cup games free to air - including the final - for the next two years

RTÉ has come on board with the Heineken Champions Cup to broadcast one match per round of the tournament – including the Aviva Stadium final – on a free-to-air basis for the next two seasons.

In a new agreement confirmed this morning, BT Sport remains as the lead broadcaster in Ireland and the UK until the conclusion of the 2023/24 season. It is an extension of an agreement that has been in place since 2015.

But now ITV, S4C and RTÉ have been added to the roster to provide free to air coverage.

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"The Heineken Champions Cup is a tournament that is much loved and followed by fans throughout Ireland," said Declan McBennett, RTÉ Group Head of Sport.

"We are delighted to partner with EPCR to bring this prestigious competition to audiences free to air and extend its reach to the widest possible audience in the Republic of Ireland."

Already more than 50,000 tickets have been sold for EPCR’s 2023 finals.

The journey to the Aviva Stadium will get underway in early December, and the exact dates, kick-off times and TV coverage of the pool stage fixtures will be announced later this week.

"Broadcast partnerships are a massively important part of our strategy to bring our world-class competitions to even wider audiences, and we are very pleased with our partners in the UK and Ireland for the new cycle," said EPCR Chairman, Dominic McKay.

"Following on from what was a magnificent Finals weekend in Marseille last May, we are delighted to continue to work with BT Sport, who have delivered incredible coverage of, and audience growth for, our competitions.

"It is also significant that we welcome three free-to-air partners on board in ITV, RTÉ and S4C, who will boost our viewership and profile as South African clubs come into the EPCR fold.

"BT Sport, ITV, RTÉ and S4C represent four more exciting broadcast partnerships in the key markets of the UK and Ireland, and with beIN SPORTS and France Télévisions in France, SuperSport in South Africa and FloSports in the USA, we are looking forward to bringing the pinnacle of international club rugby to more audiences than ever before."

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